KetchCan1 Submarine Fiber Cable System

KetchCan1 Submarine Fiber Cable System: Connecting Alaska to British Columbia

The KetchCan1 Submarine Fiber Cable System is a 167-kilometer fiber optic cable linking Ketchikan, Alaska, in the United States to Prince Rupert, British Columbia, in Canada. Owned and operated by Ketchican Public Utilities, it is listed as in service with a recorded ready-for-service (RFS) date of 2020, according to the GeoCables database. However, public information about its design capacity, fiber count, supplier, and technology remains unavailable, leaving certain technical details about the cable uncertain. What makes KetchCan1 unique is its relatively short transnational route, connecting two communities in a region where submarine cables face logistical challenges due to harsh weather conditions and rugged seabed topography. The cable fills a niche in the Pacific Northwest corridor, complementing other systems such as Connected Coast in Prince Rupert and multiple cables in Ketchikan, including Alaska United Southeast (AU-SE), Alaska United West (AU-West), and SEALink South.

Quick facts

Cable name	KetchCan1 Submarine Fiber Cable System
Length	167 km
Ready-for-service year	2020 (GeoCables database; no conflicting sources surfaced)
Owner	Ketchican Public Utilities
Status	In service
Design capacity	Not disclosed
Fiber pairs	Not disclosed
Supplier	Not disclosed
Technology	Not disclosed
Landing points	Ketchikan (United States); Prince Rupert (Canada)

Show KetchCan1 Submarine Fiber Cable System on the interactive cable map

Route

The KetchCan1 cable system spans 167 kilometers across the Pacific Northwest, connecting Ketchikan, Alaska, to Prince Rupert, British Columbia. Both landing points are small but strategically significant coastal communities. Ketchikan serves as a hub for several submarine cables, including Alaska United Southeast (AU-SE), Alaska United West (AU-West), and SEALink South, enhancing its role in regional connectivity. Prince Rupert, on the other hand, is also connected to the Connected Coast cable system, which provides services to remote communities along British Columbia's coastline. The corridor traversed by KetchCan1 is known for challenging marine conditions, including strong currents, rocky seabeds, and frequent storms. While specific details about the cable's burial depth or protection measures are not publicly disclosed, standard industry practices likely include seabed surveys and armoring to mitigate risks.

Why it was built and what it carries

KetchCan1 was likely built to improve regional connectivity between Alaska and British Columbia, providing a direct link for telecommunications, data transfer, and internet services. While the cable's design capacity is not disclosed, its role as a transnational system suggests it serves both commercial and residential users in the region. The cable complements existing systems in Ketchikan and Prince Rupert, potentially offering redundancy and additional bandwidth.

History: what can be established

GeoCables records the cable's ready-for-service year as 2020, with no conflicting dates identified in industry sources. This timeline aligns with the broader trend of expanding connectivity in the Pacific Northwest during the late 2010s and early 2020s. However, detailed information about the cable's construction, commissioning, or operational milestones is not publicly available, leaving gaps in its documented history.

Capacity and technology

Publicly available data does not confirm the design capacity, number of fiber pairs, supplier, or specific technology used in the KetchCan1 cable system. Without operator documentation, attributing these details would be speculative. It is likely that the cable employs standard industry technologies such as dense wavelength division multiplexing (DWDM) for high-capacity data transmission, but this cannot be stated definitively.

Latency: the physics

Theoretical latency calculations for KetchCan1 suggest a one-way light propagation time of approximately 0.8 milliseconds over its 167-kilometer length, resulting in a round-trip time (RTT) floor of 1.6 milliseconds for the wet segment. However, real-world latency measurements are significantly higher due to additional factors such as land tails, terminal equipment, and routing. GeoCables live measurements show a minimum RTT of 25.6 milliseconds between Ketchikan and Prince Rupert, with an average of 26.1 milliseconds across 87 checks. A single measurement in the reverse direction recorded an RTT of 238.6 milliseconds. These figures reflect the full internet path rather than the cable's performance alone, incorporating delays from terrestrial networks and intermediate nodes.

Redundancy: what happens if it breaks

In the event of a failure, redundancy for the KetchCan1 cable system is supported by alternative cables at its landing points. Ketchikan hosts multiple systems, including Alaska United Southeast (AU-SE), Alaska United West (AU-West), and SEALink South, while Prince Rupert is connected to the Connected Coast cable system. These alternatives can provide backup connectivity, although rerouting traffic may introduce additional latency and bandwidth constraints. Repairing submarine cables typically involves deploying specialized cable ships equipped with remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) for fault localization and repair. Given the challenging marine conditions in the Pacific Northwest, repair operations for KetchCan1 would likely require careful planning and execution.

Bottom line

• KetchCan1 is a 167-kilometer submarine cable connecting Ketchikan, Alaska, to Prince Rupert, British Columbia.
• Owned by Ketchican Public Utilities, it has been in service since 2020, according to GeoCables data.
• Technical details such as design capacity, fiber pairs, supplier, and technology are not publicly disclosed.
• Theoretical latency is 1.6 milliseconds RTT for the wet segment, but real-world measurements are significantly higher.
• Redundancy is provided by multiple cables at both landing points, including systems like Alaska United Southeast and Connected Coast.